Beyond Tribe: Why Nigeria Must Stop Repeating History – Banji Alabi Esq 

PREAMBLE

January 1966.
Major Kaduna Nzeogwu led a coup against the Federal Government of Nigeria. Across regions, ethnic groups, and social classes, Nigerians cheered. For a brief moment, it felt like a nation united by frustration with a broken system.

That unity didn’t last.

Within weeks, the narrative shifted. The dead were mocked. Symbols of humiliation were aimed at a revered leader from another ethnic group. What began as a national political reset was recast as ethnic score-settling.

The result was predictable: trust shattered, violence erupted, thousands died, communities were torn apart, and property was destroyed.

The lesson is simple and brutal: the moment a national issue becomes an ethnic weapon, everyone loses.

We keep seeing the same script play out today.
History doesn’t repeat itself. We repeat it.

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LET’S BUILD A NATION

The Nigerian Co-Existence Pledge
A one-page commitment for every Nigerian

I am Nigerian.
My ethnicity is my heritage. My citizenship is my bond.
Nigeria is stronger because of our 250+ ethnic groups, not in spite of them.

I pledge to:

Put Nigeria First
I will judge people by character and competence, not by tribe, religion, or state of origin.
I will treat every Nigerian as a citizen with equal rights, anywhere in this country.

Demand Fairness and Accountability
I will support leaders who serve all Nigerians, not just their own.
I will reject corruption, impunity, and the politics of division.
I will hold my local, state, and federal representatives accountable for results.

Protect Peace Where I Am
I will not share hate, fear, or divisive content.
If conflict starts, I will de-escalate.
I will defend the right of every Nigerian to live, work, and own property safely anywhere in Nigeria.

Build Shared Prosperity
I will support projects and policies that connect Nigerians across regions.
I will trade, learn, and work beyond ethnic and religious lines.

Learn and Teach Honest History
I will remember the past without being imprisoned by it.
I will teach my children that diversity is our advantage when we manage it well.

—

Why this matters:
A nation of 220 million doesn’t hold together by force. It holds together when every citizen believes they have a stake in its future.

This pledge is my stake.
I will live it. I will teach it. I will defend it.

Name: _
Date: _
State/LGA: **__

One Nation. One People. One Future.

— Banji Alabi Esq.

TAKE HOME –

In January 1966, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu led a coup against the Federal Government of Nigeria. At the time, the action was met with widespread approval across regions, ethnic groups, and social classes. Many Nigerians saw it as a bold attempt to reset a failing political order.

That consensus did not last.

Shortly after, a section of the public began to mock the victims of the coup. The most inflammatory act was the circulation of images placing Nzeogwu’s boot on the head of a revered leader from another ethnic group. What had begun as a national political event was suddenly reframed through an ethnic lens.

That shift in narrative had real consequences. Trust collapsed, tensions escalated, and the country descended into violence that claimed thousands of lives and destroyed property on a massive scale.

The pattern is familiar: a political moment loses its national character when it is reduced to ethnic score-settling.

History gives us this episode so we can recognize the warning signs. The tragedy is that we keep seeing the same script play out today.

Some lessons are only useful if we’re willing to learn them.